Kate McKinnon Bio
Kate McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984) is an American actress and comedian known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022. She became widely recognized for her character work and celebrity impressions, earning multiple nominations and awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. McKinnon has also built a notable career in film, appearing in projects such as Ghostbusters (2016) and Barbie (2023), and in voice acting for several animated series.
Early Life and Background
McKinnon was born and raised on Long Island in the town of Sea Cliff, New York, to Laura Campbell, a parent educator, and Michael Thomas Berthold, an architect. She has a younger sister, comedian and actress Emily Lynne, with whom she has collaborated on creative projects. Their father died when McKinnon was 18 years old.
As a child, McKinnon played several instruments. She started playing the piano at age five, took up the cello at age 12, and taught herself the guitar at 15. Her talent for accents emerged in fifth grade when she auditioned to be the queen of reading week using an English accent, an experience she has described as the foundation of her comedy career. She graduated from North Shore High School in 2002 and went on to attend Columbia University, where she earned a degree in theatre in 2006.
At Columbia, McKinnon co-founded a comedy group called Tea Party that focused on musical improv comedy. She starred in three Varsity shows and was also a member of Prangstgrüp, a student comedy group that staged elaborate college pranks. Her cast and crewmates at Columbia included future actors Jenny Slate and Grace Parra, directors Tze Chun and Greta Gerwig, and The Onion managing editor Peter Koechley.
Path to Celebrity
Following her time at Columbia, McKinnon moved into the New York comedy scene. In 2007, she joined the original cast of Logo TV’s The Big Gay Sketch Show, where she performed for all three seasons. Since 2008, she has performed live sketch comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, sharpening the character work and impressions that would later define her career.
She also began building a résumé as a voice-over actress during this period, voicing characters in series such as The Venture Bros., Robotomy, and Ugly Americans. In 2009, McKinnon won a Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic, and in 2010, she was nominated for an ECNY Emerging Comic Award. These early experiences in sketch, improv, and voice work helped establish her reputation as a versatile performer before her breakthrough on national television.
Kate McKinnon Career
Early Career (2007-2011)
McKinnon’s first notable on-screen work came with The Big Gay Sketch Show on Logo TV, where she was a cast member from 2007 to 2010 across all three seasons. During this period, she also became a regular performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, building her reputation in the live comedy circuit. Her rising profile was recognized in 2009 when she won the Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic.
She expanded into voice acting during these years, contributing to animated series such as The Venture Bros., Robotomy, and Ugly Americans. In 2010, she received an Emerging Comic Award nomination from the ECNY, further establishing her as one of the most promising new voices in American comedy. These early projects laid the groundwork for her transition to mainstream television.
Breakthrough (2012-2022)
McKinnon joined the cast of Saturday Night Live as a featured player on April 7, 2012, and was promoted to repertory status in season 39 in 2013. Her work on the series earned her multiple Emmy nominations and two wins, and she became known for celebrity impressions of figures such as Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, Ellen DeGeneres, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her return to season 46 made her the show’s longest-tenured female cast member at that time, surpassing Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant by five episodes.
She left Saturday Night Live at the end of season 47 in 2022, having originally planned to depart at the end of season 45 before the COVID-19 pandemic altered her plans. In 2022, she also starred as Carole Baskin in the Peacock miniseries Joe vs. Carole, which premiered on March 3, 2022.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond SNL, McKinnon starred in the 2016 reboot Ghostbusters alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Leslie Jones, and played Weird Barbie in the 2023 film Barbie. She has voiced lead roles in the PBS Kids animated series Nature Cat (2015-2025) and the Netflix series The Magic School Bus Rides Again (2017-2021), and has appeared in films such as Sisters (2015), Rough Night (2017), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), Bombshell (2019), and The Bubble (2022).
Kate McKinnon Award Nominations
Kate McKinnon received ten Primetime Emmy Award nominations over the course of her career, including one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and nine for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Saturday Night Live. Her sustained recognition from the Television Academy reflects her long-standing impact on the show and on comedy television more broadly.
Kate McKinnon Awards Won
Kate McKinnon won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Saturday Night Live, in 2016 and 2017. The 2016 win made her the first SNL cast member to receive the award since Dana Carvey in 1993. She also won the 2014 American Comedy Award for Best Supporting Actress, TV, and a 2009 Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | 1 | 2016 |
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | 1 | 2017 |
| American Comedy Award for Best Supporting Actress, TV | 1 | 2014 |
| Logo NewNowNext Award for Best Rising Comic | 1 | 2009 |
Kate McKinnon Family
McKinnon is the daughter of Laura Campbell, a parent educator, and Michael Thomas Berthold, an architect. Her father died when she was 18 years old. She has a younger sister, Emily Lynne, who is also a comedian and actress. The sisters have collaborated on the web series Notary Publix and on the fantasy-comedy Audible audio series Heads Will Roll, which premiered in May 2019 and featured guest appearances from Meryl Streep, Peter Dinklage, and several of McKinnon’s SNL co-stars.
Personal Life
While attending Columbia University, McKinnon dated future journalist Bari Weiss. She was in a relationship with photographer and actress Jackie Abbott from 2016 to 2019. In January 2020, while presenting Ellen DeGeneres with the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globe Awards, McKinnon publicly opened up about being a lesbian and thanked DeGeneres for making it less scary for her to accept her sexual orientation. McKinnon does not maintain social media accounts, citing a fear of misrepresenting her real feelings, and she has the condition geographic tongue.
Upcoming Projects
In 2025, Kate McKinnon co-stars in the film The Roses and has provided voice work for the Minecraft Movie. That same year, she published her second young-adult book, Secrets of the Purple Pearl, following her 2024 debut novel The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. In November 2024, she served as host of the National Book Awards in New York City.
